Passengers mill around Terminal 1 as various trips out of Cebu were cancelled due to Tropical Storm Vinta
CDN PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA
The prospect of spending Christmas far from home filled Marlyn Agad with great dismay, as she heard the news that her trip to Hilongos, Leyte was cancelled yesterday as Tropical Storm Vinta made landfall.
She was looking forward to spending Christmas with her family in Bontoc, Southern Leyte. “Naguol gyud ko kay lisod gyud ning dili madayon og byahe unya pasko na pud baya (I am really dismayed by the cancelation of my trip because Christmas is fast approaching),” Angan, who has been away from her children for about a month, said.
Angan is among the 1401 passengers stranded in the different ports in Cebu City, Liloan, Taloot port in Argao, Tangil port in Dumanjug, and Bato port in Samboan.
“Okay ra man nga gicancel kay alangan pud nga mopugos ta og byahe nga dunay bagyo. Dili man ta makapugos (The cancellation of the trips is understandable because we should not insist on traveling during a storm),” she said.
She plans to stay with relatives in Cebu City until she can get passage to Leyte.
Jaime Aroy, 67 and his wife from Tagbilaran City, Bohol, arrived in Cebu yesterday morning to attend to some business at the Cebu City Hall. It would have been only a day trip but when they arrived at the terminal, they learned about the cancellation of their trip back home.
“Ari nalang mi higda ug maghuwat nalang mi sa sunod nga byahe (We will sleep in the port and wait for an announcement for the next schedule),” he said.
Crowd Control
Terminal Operations Officer Rhea Oporto admitted that they have problems with crowd control at Terminal 1.
“Ang crowd controlling is that you are in control of the people coming inside the terminal. Maprotektahan nimo ang facilidad, maprotektahan sab nimo ang naa sa sulod (You are able to protect the facilities and also the people inside),” she said.
She said some stranded passengers complained that they were not able to enter the terminal, despite having bought tickets.
“Our facility is not designed for stranded people, maong dili gyod ta magpasulod basta walay byahe (that is why we don’t allow passengers to enter if there are no trips) to control the people,” Oporto said.
She added that the 4, 960 square meter pre-departure area can only accommodate 1,000 persons, and is now filled with stranded passengers. “The object of the terminal is for a facility for the passengers who are on travel, not for standby,” she said.
Oporto said there are waiting areas for passengers outside the terminal. She advised the stranded passengers to go home and await further trip advisories.
“Wala mi good accommodation for them. If wala gyoy chance mo lift dili nalang mopadayon og byahe, and contact the shipping lines kon naa silay pangutana (If there is no chance of lifing the suspension of trips they should just not travel and contact the shipping lines for further information),” she said.